Crypto’s real trajectory is being missed by markets obsessed with volatility, as decentralized networks quietly position themselves to replace failing global institutions and reshape economics, governance, and coordination, according to Balaji Srinivasan.

XRP fundamentals are strengthening as institutional infrastructure expands, unlocking new onchain utility and regulated access that could reshape demand even while price action lags amid broader market pressure.

The crypto market has been locked in a deep, prolonged winter since early 2025, but signs suggest the downturn may be closer to its end as institutional flows mask pain, retail capitulates and sentiment reaches classic late-stage extremes.

Ripple Prime expands institutional reach into onchain derivatives by integrating Hyperliquid, allowing firms to access decentralized liquidity while managing multi-asset exposures under a single, capital-efficient prime brokerage framework.

The price of bitcoin sliced through the $61,000 mark on Thursday, sliding to an intraday low of $60,000 per coin on Binance as the day’s selling pressure refused to let up. The steep pullback has rattled investors across the board, with chatter everywhere centering on when—if ever—the pressure finally eases.

Bitcoin and the broader crypto market now appear more violent than the 1929 U.S. stock crash, as extreme boom-and-bust cycles compress historic levels of risk into years, warns Bloomberg Intelligence strategist Mike McGlone.

This week, the crypto asset exchange Bullish reported a steep fourth-quarter net loss even as adjusted revenue, EBITDA, and activity in its bitcoin options market climbed sharply, pointing to a widening gap between headline results and underlying operating momentum.

Lately, veteran trader Peter Brandt has been flashing a bearish read on bitcoin, leaning on old-school chart work, familiar technical formations in recent price action, and the kind of market scar tissue that only decades of trading can provide. On Thursday, when bitcoin sank awfully close to the $60,000 handle, Brandt cautioned that the move carried the hallmarks of intentional “campaign selling.”

On Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, XRP suffered one of its steepest declines of the year, plunging 15% in 24 hours to a low of $1.22. This crash wiped out nearly 45% of its value since its January peak and erased gains dating back to late 2024.

Finder’s latest January 2026 survey of crypto industry specialists paints a cautiously optimistic picture for bitcoin in 2026, with most panelists expecting higher prices even as volatility and institutional dominance reshape the market.

The price of bitcoin sank to roughly $62,200 on Feb. 5, 2026, as a full-blown risk-off mood rippled through global markets, fueled by rising geopolitical strain, economic jitters, and a cascade of forced liquidations across the cryptocurrency sector.

Precious metals are tracking the sell-off in U.S. equities and crypto markets on Thursday, with bellwethers gold and silver continuing their downward march. Gold is down 1.35% on the day, while silver is taking the harder hit, shedding nearly 10% and making gold’s stumble look almost polite by comparison.

On Feb. 5, bitcoin plunged 7% intraday, breaking below $66,000 and hitting $65,253 on Bitstamp, sparking fears of a retreat toward $60,000. The drop extended bitcoin’s weekly losses past 20% and marked a 30% correction from its mid‑January peak near $98,000.

Bitcoin prediction market contracts across multiple platforms are converging around a narrow price band for early 2026, with traders broadly assigning low probabilities to aggressive upside scenarios and treating six-figure outcomes as long-shot events.

Bitmine is facing criticism online over large unrealized losses tied to its Ethereum holdings, but Chairman Tom Lee says the claims misunderstand how an ETH-focused treasury strategy works.